Talia Shire Q&A: “One More Great ‘Rocky’ Memory … in My Heart”

On May 1, 2016, Talia Shire appeared at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood as one of the many famous faces in attendance to give interviews and introduce one of their classic films. Talia made a rare public appearance to introduce a screening of the original Rocky at TCL Chinese Theatre (the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre).

Shire, who’d just celebrated her 70th birthday, looked terrific in an Asian long coat and dark slacks, coupled with some trendy eyeglasses – not Adrian’s style at all. She sat down for an intimate Q&A session with cinema analyst Scott Feinberg to talk about the making of Rocky and her memories of playing Adrian Balboa.

“[This is] one more great Rocky memory tonight,” Talia said with great emotion just prior to the screening of the movie, “Sharing this with all of you, that I can put with my other memories in my heart.”

The interview includes tidbits about acting with the great Burgess Meredith as Mickey, who she describes as “being full of creative joy”; meeting her unknown co-star and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone during her audition for the role of Adrian; choosing Adrian’s shabby wardrobe from Goodwill; Burt Young throwing the turkey out the window; shooting the ice skating scene, and Rocky and Adrian’s love scene.

“If she didn’t allow this moment – this kiss – to happen, she would have no life,” Talia said of Adrian’s first kiss with Rocky in his apartment. “That was it. That kiss meant that it was all over for her.

The actress also mentioned that she’d seen Ryan Coogler’s Creed, saying: “Sylvester Stallone was great in this movie Creed. He was great. Marvelous.”